Democratic Participation

NEW DELHI — There are two key requirements for a truly representative democracy: First, that anyone of good character can run for election, without regard to income, gender or social status; and second, that voters determine which qualities are most important in those they elect. Read more about In Indian Villages, the Power of a Powerful Woman

A 2014 paper [by David Yanagizawa-Drott] published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, “Propaganda and Conflict: Evidence from the Rwandan Genocide,” looks at the impact of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), a key media outlet for the Hutu-led government, on violence and killings of the Tutsi minority.

From the Print Edition - The EconomistHOW influential is the Tea Party? The anti-tax protests that erupted in 2009 have long since been hijacked by every right-wing group with the wit to add the words “Tea Party” to its letterhead. But new research suggests that the people whom left-wing pundits once dismissed as “teabaggers” made a big difference in the mid-term elections of 2010, when Republicans recaptured the House of Representatives. Read more about Watery Tea: A Novel Way to Measure the Influence of a Protest Movement

The Harvard CrimsonBy Quynh-Nhu LePolitical protests do not just show changing political preferences, but can actually cause political views and behaviors to change, according to a new research paper co-authored by assistant professors at the Harvard Kennedy School.

The New York TimesBy Nilanjana S. RoyIn the chaotic chorus of women’s voices that rose up in Delhi over the protests of the last few weeks, two demands stood out. One was for “justice,” which could mean either the justice of the courts, or the justice of the mob, and the other was for "azaadi," or freedom.

One of the first times that Indian women claimed that freedom was during the nascent movement for the country’s independence; they marched with Mahatma Gandhi, filled the jails alongside the men, and took an active part in the legislative assemblies. Read more about Political strength will force the issue

Wall Street JournalBy Rupa SubramanyaAs the dust settles on the state-assembly elections, the most striking feature in the country’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, appears to be the persistent electoral power of identity and caste-based politics.

Introduction

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